Tetsuya Tsurugi (TV)
Tetsuya Tsurugi is the main protagonist of Great Mazinger and the pilot of the giant robot of the same name. He is the adopted son of Kenzo Kabuto and fights against the Mycenae Empire with help from his robot and his friend Jun Hono. Background Tetsuya was orphaned at a young age and does not remember his biological parents. Living in an orphanage, the only friend he could find was another orphan named Jun Hono. Eventually, they were found by Kenzo Kabuto who adopted them both and trained them to fight against the coming threat of the Mycenae Empire. Tetsuya had trained in martial arts and piloting skills in order to effectively pilot the Great Mazinger. Appearance Tetsuya is a young man of average height with an athletic build. He has dark brown hair with a unique hairstyle that feature strands of hair curling upright including from the back of his head, thick eyebrows, and has sideburns. His usual clothing resembles a jet fighter pilot's standard uniform including a blue jacket, jeans, a light blue shirt, and a purple scarf. His pilot suit consists of a dark blue bodysuit with red padding, orange outlines, a light green pad near the neck area, and a helmet that vaguely resembles the head of Great Mazinger. Personality Tetsuya is hot-headed, much like his adoptive brother Koji Kabuto, but is also mature, never questions advice or orders from Kenzo, but is noticeably gloomy. At first glance he appears to be apathetic, focusing only on the fight against the Mycenae and getting strong enough to fight back and destroy the empire. In spite of his great skills in piloting however, Tetsuya believes that what he can currently do is never enough, especially if he feels that his position is threatened. Beneath this exterior is a heart of gold, showing the utmost compassion to his friends and loved ones, especially Jun and Kenzo. This is mostly because Tetsuya is actually afraid of being alone again after losing his parents and the reason he went through with the plan to fight the Mycenae Empire merely because it would get him a father in Kenzo. Because of this, he has a complete lack of self-esteem, panicking that anyone close to him would leave or take his position as the ace pilot. He also has a a fear of birds after an incident where a hawk he kept was blinded by a canary. Relationships Jun Hono Jun is Tetsuya's childhood friend, having been together since they first met, with no one to look after them. While Tetsuya does not often notice Jun's deeper feelings for him (usually because of his intense focus on training and fighting the Mycenae Empire), she is very important to him and would do anything to protect her. He is also heavily annoyed when Boss tries to make a move on Jun. However, when it certain bad moods, he is not afraid to hit Jun if she attempts to get too close. This often causes them to break out into fights and Jun has to be the one to piece everything together. Kabuto Family As Tetsuya grew up with Kenzo after he adopted him, he sees Kenzo as a great father figure never questioning his advice or orders. The main reason Tetsuya fights is to be of use of to Kenzo as if he didn't fight, Tetsuya believed Kenzo wouldn't love him anymore. When Koji came back and started to bond with Kenzo, Tetsuya became jealous of Koji due to the fact he is Kenzo's biological son and has been spending more time with Kenzo than Tetsuya normally would. He did not even sortie when the Demonika attacked; because of this which ultimately lead to the death of Kenzo. He became close to Kenzo's other son Shiro Kabuto since the start of the series, treating him like a brother (which they legally are). In fact it was Shiro who comforted him with the fact that they're all a family, even though Tetsuya isn't related to them by blood. When Kenzo is killed in an attack by Great Marshall of Hell, Tetsuya gets over his jealousy and fights alongside Kenzo's family to avenge him. Boss Tetsuya mainly sees Boss as a nuisance, telling him to back off from most fights. Later he warms up to Boss and his gang but is not afraid to punish him for trying to show off for Jun. Great General of Darkness The Great General of Darkness, being the leader of the Mycenae Empire's military forces is Tetsuya's primary adversary. Fans have pointed out how similar they are to each other but acknowledged that both characters act like foils. Tetsuya fights the empire because of what his adopted father wished him to do so and to have a place he belonged to while feeling threatened by anyone who could take his position. In contrast, the Great General fights against the Science Fortress lab purely out of loyalty to his emperor and the empire as a whole, never once believing anyone can take his position. During their battle, the Great General actually acknowledged Tetsuya and the Great Mazinger as equals to him. Abilities and Skills Tetsuya has been trained in martial arts from an early age, easily subduing any enemies that come his way and is not above using dirty tricks to win. His piloting skills are on par with Koji, using the Great Mazinger to its utmost potential. Tetsuya had used the Great in some unconventional ways as well including in ways that made even the Great General of Darkness cringe. However, Tetsuya's recklessness puts him in very bad positions a lot of times and he often refuses to fall back in spite of circumstances. He also drives a motorcycle called the Jet Bai. History Tetsuya first appeared piloting the Great Mazinger when the Mazinger Z is in danger of being destroyed by the Mycenae Empire, saving him from certain death. He guides Koji and his allies to the Science Fortress Laboratory to meet with Dr. Kabuto. With the Mazinger badly damaged, Koji and Sayaka travel to America to study, leaving Japan's safety in Tetsuya's hands. Over the course of the series, Tetsuya and Great Mazinger would fight against the Mycenae's Warrior Beasts before fighting their generals, including the Great General of Darkness in a long and exhausting battle. However even though the Great General was slain, the Mycenae Empire was not beaten. It was given a new leader, Great Marshall of Hell a reincarnation of Dr. Hell, an old enemy of the Mazinger Z and the Kabuto family. With Hell in charge, he led an assault against the Great Mazinger who was still damaged from the fight with the Great General. In an ironic twist of fate, Tetsuya was saved by Koji and a fully restored Mazinger Z. In the manga, Tetsuya and Jun set up a plot as Hell tried to capture the Great. Instead they end up getting counter-duped and fight against General Hadias destroying him. Tetsuya greets Koji as he comes back from Japan and helps him get back to the Mazinger Z where Koji reunites with his father, Kenzo. Deciding to fight again with Hell's return, Koji gets close with his father making Tetsuya jealous. Upset with the belief that he can never be given the same amount of love from Kenzo as he gives Koji, it affects his skill in battle. Jun and Shiro assure Tetsuya, that he is by no means insignificant to them or Kenzo. When Great Marshall of Hell attack again, he targets the Photon Power Laboratory destroying it. Kenzo sacrifices himself to defeat the swarms of enemies in spite of Tetsuya and Koji's pleas. Tetsuya decides to work with Koji in a final assault against Hell. After a massive battle, Tetsuya and Koji deal the finishing blow to Hell destroying him for good and ending the Mycenae Empire. Afterwards, Tetsuya spends his days at a rebuilt Photon Lab. In the Grendizer manga, he is controlled by the Vegan Empire and is used to attack the city and the Grendizer along with Koji and Mazinger Z. Boss Borot manages to find the ship where the army general is at and break the device controlling them. The Mazingers then pair up with Grendizer to fight the Vegan ship destroying it. Etymology Tsurugi means 'sword' specifically double-edged swords, fitting as many of the Great Mazinger's attacks involve blades including the main Mazinger Blade. The kanji also matches one of the character in Kenzo Kabuto's given name, bridging a connection between Tetsuya and Dr. Kabuto. Trivia * Tetsuya is stated to be 180 cm tall. * Tetsuya was originally supposed to be 22 years old, but for various reasons his age was reduced to 18. This might also explain why he looks older than 18. Gallery Fighter to the end.jpeg Tet.jpeg The Thinker.jpeg Sjs.jpeg tsurugi_tetsuya_0001.jpg tsurugi_tetsuya_0002.jpg tsurugi_tetsuya_0003.jpg Tsurugi_tetsuya_d_0001.jpg tsurugi_tetsuya_mv_0001.jpg|Infinity Tumblr_np2najor3F1ql4097o1_540_%282%29.jpg Category:Manga Characters Category:Science Fortress Laboratory Category:Photon Power Laboratory Category:Mazinger Z Characters Category:Great Mazinger Characters Category:Grendizer Characters Category:Protagonists